Namibia Highlights

There are only a few moments each dawn where the natural sunlight lights the Sossusvlei Sand Dunes in the Namib Desert, Namibia. Finding a dune with a yin & yang contrast of light and shade with contrasting stunted trees in front was the first challenge in making this photograph. The second was being there at dawn on a morning where the atmosphere was clear enough to create the image. With no other humans within miles the morning was completely silent and reminded me of just how wild the desert can be. In an area which had not had rain for over 20 years it was amazing to see that there were still thriving plants and lots of small animals.

Hot-air ballooning is a glorious adventure anywhere in the world but nowhere more than in the Namib desert over the stunning red sand dunes which are unreachable any other way. It is even more fun when two balloons go up at once so that you can photograph the other balloon.

The Namib Desert in Namibia is one of the world's oldest and driest. The dunes are scenic but can be difficult to photograph. Our group was anxious to leave this site after sunrise until I pointed out to them how they could put the dunes in the foreground with the valley in the mid-ground and mountains in the background. Suddenly they were all excited and happy to stay to capture a few more memorable images.

Photo taken with Nikon D2X, 24-120mm lens at 35mm, f/11 at 1/80s on Gitzo tripod.

Hiking several miles with gear into this parched ancient lake bed was worth it for the stark vistas it revealed. Capturing that drama naturally led me to making a black and white image once I found a compelling arrangement of dead trees, brances and the enclosing sand dunes. Dead Vlei, Sossusvlei, Namib Desert, Namibia.